High speed hubs could revive Polish pipeline
Pictured: Holiday Inn Horizon Hotel & Resort Szklarska Poreba.
Polish hotel development prospects could receive a real boost with the construction of a high speed transport project between Warsaw and Łódź, integrating air, road and rail.
The planned Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) transfer hub envisages the construction of Solidarity Airport located 37 km west of Warsaw across an area of 3,000 ha. The airport is projected to handle 40 million passengers a year.
Fast rail first
The development will also include the first high speed railway line in Poland, enabling travel between Warsaw and the largest Polish cities in less than 2.5 hours.
In recent weeks, CPK has signed contracts for the line’s design, the first element of a new railway network. Preparatory work on the 140 km line is scheduled to start at the end of 2023, while substantial construction of the Warsaw–Łódź section will start in 2024, once planning permission has been obtained.
Welcome boost
The far-reaching development could boost international visitors to the central European country in the coming years, likewise prompting increasing demand for hotel capacity.
This could be very welcome in the high end segment, which, according to data from TOPHOTELPROJECTS, has slowed its development rate in recent years.
When we last analysed the Polish pipeline nearly two years ago, there were 62 new hotels on the slate, comprising 12,314 rooms. However, now the total reaches at least 48 sites, encompassing 9,839 keys, representing a 23% and 20% reduction, respectively.
Hotel hotspots
The new transport connections will certainly help some sites already in the pipeline, as Warsaw is top of the high end development tree, with 10 hotels in the offing. Wroclaw is a way back as runner-up with four sites, while close behind sharing third spot with three each are Krakow, Kołobrzeg and Pobierowo.
The pipeline is heavily weighted towards the upscale segment, with 38 constructions in the four star category (79%) and only 10 luxury five star sites. Currently, constructions peak next year with 15 scheduled deliveries, ahead of 2024’s eight completions and five in 2025. Just two more hotels are due to open by the end of this year, while the remaining 18 entries have yet to be designated an end date.
Brand plans
In terms of hotel chains making prominent Polish moves, Hilton Worldwide is heading the list. The Hilton Garden Inn brand has four sites underway, while Hampton by Hilton adds a further three. Also making headway is Accor, with three Movenpick Hotels & Resorts properties alongside another Tribe trio. Radisson Blu Hotels & Resorts gets a look-in as well, also with three developments.
One of the Hilton hotels is the 128-key Hilton Garden Inn Kolobrzeg. The hotel will be situated in the heart of Kolobrzeg seaside resort and will be the first in the international network located in this area. The complex will comprise a hotel, apartments as well as a modern spa and wellness centre.
An imminent opening to watch out for is Holiday Inn Horizon Hotel & Resort Szklarska Poreba in Dolna near the country’s western borders. This will be the first Holiday Inn resort in Poland, bringing 87 guestrooms online as part of a 1.5 hectare complex. The site will feature apartments, a recreation area, a wellness area, indoor and outdoor pools, a spa, and a kids’ club.
Many TOPHOTELNEWS articles draw on exclusive information from the TOPHOTELPROJECTS construction database. This subscription-based product includes details of thousands of hotel projects around the world, along with the key decision-makers behind them. Please note, our data may differ from records held by other organisations. Generally, the database focuses on four- and five-star schemes of significant scale; tracks projects in either the vision, pre-planning, planning, under-construction, pre-opening or newly opened phase; and covers newbuilds, extensions, refurbishments and conversions.
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